Gas turbine engines, such as those which power aircraft and industrial equipment, employ a compressor to compress air that is drawn into the engine and a turbine to capture energy associated with the combustion of a fuel-air mixture. Due to the enclosed and confined nature of many engines, an articulating borescope is used to confirm that: (1) devices of the engine are present, (2) the devices are assembled in an appropriate manner (e.g., are assembled in accordance with a procedure/specification), and/or (3) the devices are operable/functional (e.g., the devices are not degraded/fatigued).
Conventionally, borescopes are designed to only provide for minor articulation of the last, e.g., 2 to 3 inches (approximately 50 millimeters to 76 millimeters) where a camera (e.g., a still-frame camera or video camera) is included. Additional manipulation/maneuvering of a borescope typically requires manual action by the user/operator. A limited subset of tools are available to assist in such maneuvers, such that the user is required to provide a majority of the controlling force by hand. Consequently, in use borescopes are not ergonomic as the user's hand is subject to large loads (e.g., torsional and axial loads). The manipulation/use of borescopes tends to be tedious and can lead to repeated trials caused at least in part by fatigue. Additionally, the use of borescopes tends to provide inconsistent results. For example, factors such as the presence of externals (e.g., components such as tubes, wires, etc., that may be present in the space between the user's location and the engine hardware/device to be inspected/examined) and user stamina and experience can lead to different results under otherwise substantially similar (or even equivalent) conditions.
Accordingly, what is needed is a borescope that allows the user to exert a force in an ergonomic and comfortable manner with a mechanical advantage that reduces/minimizes any input load that may be needed.